Fancy a 5.30am dip?

A diverse community of dedicated swimmers, the Brighton Icebergers are brought together by a shared passion for having a regular swim, all year round, in all conditions.

We wanted to honour Iceberger Keith’s commitment to healthy body, healthy mind with this tribute video. Here, he talks to us about swimming, health, happiness and 5.30am starts.

Getting involved with the Icebergers

My name's Keith Forbes and I'm 73 years of age. I joined the Icebergers when I was 18 years old and I've been doing it on a daily basis ever since.

It’s a great feeling. It's extremely invigorating and it sets you up for the rest of the day. If you ever do miss it, when you're away on a trip or something and you can't get a swim, your whole day's not the same. It becomes a bit of an addiction.

I started coming every summer to swim every day. As the days got colder and shorter, we just kept on going and ended up completing the first year. Once you've done that, it becomes a habit that you really enjoy and something that you have to do every day. You wash all your cares away with it and plan your day as well. It's very relaxing.

Friendships and fitness

I've got a lot of friends down here. We're a bit of an odd lot. There's no structure to the Brighton Icebergers, but you’ve got to be crazy to be coming here at this time of day, particularly in the middle of winter. It's just nice to catch up with the guys and see how they're doing.

When I was working we used to have a key to the baths. I'd come down and open the baths at 5.30 in the morning, because the manager wouldn't start until 7am. We had a bit of an arrangement with them, so the Icebergers could get in at 5:30. That worked really well for us.

A formula for life

I believe that healthy body, healthy mind is the right formula. I think if you look after yourself and do plenty of exercise life becomes a whole lot easier.